Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police.
Feeling zero.
Smurf Smurf
Speed, Clint and Barney, unable to accuse Paul Mougnet of being the octopus because
Chief Tipo cannot testify against the scientist, go to Lhasa and a well-earned night's sleep.
Barney sleeps alone in a room adjoining Speed and Clint and the octopus, learning of this,
orders that he be kidnapped from the hotel and brought to his mysterious castle in the
pass of the Iron Dagger.
While all this is going on, Speed tosses restlessly on his pillow and awakens the following morning
feeling as if he has had little sleep.
Oh, gosh.
I'm almost as tired as I was when I went to bed last night.
Well, I don't want to, Speed.
The way you were tossing last night, I thought you were running a race with yourself.
Gee, Clint, I hope I didn't keep you awake.
No, aside from the one time I spoke to you, I slept through your gymnastics very peacefully.
But you got up before I did.
Yes, I have so much to do today.
I want to get an early start.
You were sleeping so soundly.
I didn't have the heart to wake you up.
It won't take me long to get dressed.
Good.
I'll wake Barney meanwhile.
All right.
Barney.
Barney.
Oh, he's not here.
What?
He must have awakened before I did, but darn funny if he did.
I generally have to drag him out of bed.
Maybe he was restless like I was, Clint.
Let's see if his clothes are still here.
Yeah, very well.
I'll...
Speed.
Look.
He's still wearing his clothes.
Yeah, and he hasn't unpacked the rest of his stuff yet.
See, only that one case is open.
His pajamas were in that one.
Oh, I wonder where they are now.
Clint, do you think Barney might have walked in his sleep?
No, not that one.
He may snore, Speed, but he wouldn't walk.
If he didn't have to, he's too lazy.
Well, I'll look outside and see if I can spot him anywhere.
No, wait a minute, Speed.
Don't touch that doorknob leading out into the hall.
I want to examine it for fingerprints.
Fingerprints?
Clint, you mean you think something's happened to Barney?
It looks mighty suspicious.
It isn't like Barney to disappear without leaving word or a note of some sort.
I haven't seen a trace of any note.
Me either, and I've been looking for one.
Since we're so close to the Octopus, he may waste no time in trying to get rid of us.
You mean he might have kidnapped Barney?
Yes.
So why?
If his gang could do that, why couldn't they get rid of all of us while we were asleep?
That would be too bold a stroke, Speed.
Since I'm convinced that Paul Mougnet is in reality the Octopus, he could naturally be
more subtle in his methods than he has been in the past.
You see, in Tibet, people can't disappear without a trace, without a very thorough investigation
as to the cause of their disappearance.
Mougnet can't stand an official investigation.
Gee, but poor Barney.
Poor Barney is right.
Now, for one who doesn't know him very well, Barney appears a little stupid.
The Octopus must think that he can get information from Barney that he might not be able to get
from you or me.
Golly, then what do we do?
First, we must make a thorough examination of this room.
Now, if Barney has been spirited away, there are bound to be traces of whoever came for
him.
Examine that window over there, Speed, while I look over this door.
You might take a look at the bed, too.
See if there are any signs of a struggle.
All right.
But gee, Clint, nothing can happen to Barney, can it?
No, of course not.
We're imagining the worst.
But if it should be true, and Barney is in the hands of the Octopus, I'll wager dollars
to doughnuts that he'll find a way to outwit him.
Master, here is Barney Dunlap.
So I see.
He does not seem to be aware of his surroundings.
No.
Our operator struck him possibly over the head when he abducted him.
It was necessary.
Yes.
These secret police are always so eager to fight.
Well, Quan Wu, take him to the Dungeon of Darkness before he regains consciousness.
I do not want Dunlap to know that the Octopus lives in Paul Munier's castle.
Yes, Master.
Immediately.
You call me?
Take the prisoner to the Dungeon of Darkness.
And switch on the speaker system in there as well.
I shall talk with the prisoner when he is himself again.
Meanwhile, I should like to hear what he has to say as well.
Your word is law, Master.
Careful.
Do not harm the prisoner.
Yes, Master.
I am a little uneasy over this thing that you have done, Master.
I fear that Dunlap will learn your secret, discover where he really is.
How can he if I keep him in eternal darkness?
You cannot keep him there forever.
He must come from the dungeon if you are to use him in one of your experiments.
Yes, Quan Wu.
But I will render him unconscious before he is brought into my laboratory and placed in
the thought-recording machine.
Thought-recording machine?
You do not know about that one?
It was one of Paul Munier's most successful inventions.
Next to this machine, the ordinary lie-detector machines are but playthings.
My machine actually records the subject's thoughts on film, as sound waves are now recorded.
You mean they appear as lines?
Yes, in a fashion.
But these lines are meaningless unless one has the formula for reading them.
I have that formula.
A wonderful machine, Master.
Yes, Munier was about to present it to the world when I interrupted his plans.
Now I shall keep it for my own use.
A man must be careful of what is in his mind when he is in this house.
Yes.
With that machine here, thoughts can be most dangerous.
It cannot only read your conscious mind, but your subconscious mind as well, Quan Wu.
It will record things that even you have forgotten about.
I shall switch on the set so we may hear everything.
Would you like to be before the all-seeing eye of my machine, Quan Wu?
I have nothing to hide from you.
My mind holds no tetra stuff.
Yet you are uneasy when I mention you as a possible subject.
No, I...
Ah, no matter.
It sounds as if Dunlap is recovering consciousness.
Let us listen for a moment.
Hey, where am I?
It's all black.
I can't see a thing.
I'll strike a match.
Hey, I got my pajamas on.
Oh, my head.
I remember now.
That fight at the hotel.
Then somebody slugged me.
Just let me get my hands on that guy.
Even when he is helpless, our friend wants to fight.
Can he hear us as clearly as we hear him, Appa?
No.
He can hear nothing from this room until I open this microphone.
Where in heck am I now?
Maybe if I feel around in the dark, I can find out.
Wherever this is, it's got rocks sticking out from it.
There's a door.
Maybe I can get somebody to open it if I yell loud enough.
Let me out of here!
Open the door!
Let me out, I say!
You may as well end Dunlap's suspense as to where he is.
Barney Dunlap!
You...
Oh, so it's you, octopus.
I might have known it.
Where are you?
Better yet, where am I?
You are completely in my power.
That's nothing new.
I've been in your power so much since we started this sprint that I wouldn't feel natural
if I was out of it.
But is this the castle on the cliff?
Castle?
No, my friend.
For once, the secret police are very wrong.
Last night, you went to Paul Mougnet's home accusing him of being me.
Well, I'm not a thief.
I'm a man of the heart.
I'm a man of the heart.
I'm a man of the heart.
I'm a man of the heart.
I'm a man of the heart.
I'm a man of the heart.
I'm a man of the heart.
I'm a man of the heart.
Of course not.
But I know you are.
We followed you here.
All the evidence leads right to his, I mean, your dog.
You police work like bloodhounds and show just about as much intelligence.
You can only follow a sin.
When you lose that, you are unable to move.
That's what you think.
And anyhow, you can insult me by calling me a bloodhound.
I like dogs.
But where am I here?
What trick have you got up your sleeve now?
Are Speed and Clint here too?
No, wouldn't you like to know?
Yes, I'd like to know.
I have caused you to be brought here to answer questions Dunlap not to ask them.
Oh yeah?
Just try to make me talk.
Words will not be necessary.
Huh?
What do you mean by that, you big devil bit?
You wish to hear no more?
No, I did not wish to hear him in the first place.
I merely desire to confuse his mind.
I have accomplished that.
Now I shall proceed with the next step.
And that is?
To make the thought recording machine ready for Dunlap.
It will take a little time since its workings are very intricate.
Dunlap is my first subject, so I must be doubly careful.
Should I make one mistake, he would be killed instantly, electrocuted.
Then he would be worth nothing to us.
No.
First I must record his thoughts.
Whatever happens after is of little interest to me.
You mean you will destroy him, Master?
No, not yet.
Nothing so crude as that.
I have a better plan, Quan Mu.
A much better plan.
So we called you in, Chief Depot, to tell you all this.
We've definitely decided that Barney has been kidnapped by members of the Octopus gang.
We have fingerprints taken from the doorknob there.
You can see by the bed that there's been some kind of fight.
But, Speed, Mr. Barlow, we should report this to the officials at Lhasa.
They would search every house of the city.
It isn't the houses of Lhasa that hold Barney, Chief Depot.
It's the lonely castle of the Pass of the Iron Dagger.
Oh, you think he is at Munez?
Yes.
That's why I couldn't sleep, Clint.
I bet they were getting Barney just when I woke up.
Probably, Speed.
Your instinct was a lot keener than mine that time.
You wanted to get up and see if Barney was all right, but I discouraged you.
Yeah, if I'd only gone...
No, no, not you.
I should have gone.
I've had enough experiences with hunchers to know that I should follow them.
But what are we going to do now, Mr. Barlow?
First, I want you to send Chief Riley a cable, Speed.
Send it in code, of course.
And tell him of Barney's disappearance.
And then come right back here to the hotel.
Yes, sir.
Anything else I can get while I'm out?
Oh, yes.
Well, Chief Depot, is there any place in Lhasa that sells face powder?
Face powder?
Yes, there is a small shop, I believe, is it at the corner of this very street that
the hotel is on.
Oh, good.
Take a sample of this along, Speed, and get another box of the same shade, if you can.
Get a little makeup, Clint?
Yes, and we're going to need plenty of it.
If we stalk the octopus in his lair, he must never see me as I really look.
Mr. Barlow, do you mean to tell me that you are wearing a disguise at this very moment?
Yes, Chief Depot.
But it cannot be.
There is nothing about your appearance that suggests a disguise.
That's one of the reasons why Clint is the ace operator of the service, Chief Depot.
He can disguise himself to look like anybody you can think of.
Yes, and it saved my skin many a time, believe me.
Now run along now, Speed.
Send that cable, and oh, you remember the code key.
You bet.
I have it perfect.
Good.
Now, come back, and most important of all, keep your eyes and ears open.
I don't want you disappearing, too.
Don't worry.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
Then what do we do, Clint?
Well, then, whether he likes it or not, Speed, we're going to pay the mysterious Mr. Mounier
a friendly visit.
I'd like to see some of those inventions he's been talking so much about.
How come that choose not to use as an belonged baby?"
What doit he want from you, Mr. Mounier?